I managed to stand up, but the next moment my body refused to move.The pressure was overwhelming, crushing me in place.
I waited for the door to open.
Instead, something teleported beside me.
I couldn't tell what it was—human, angel, or something else entirely.It had the shape of a human body, yet it wasn't flesh or blood.
It was made entirely of aura, similar to the energy flowing around the door holders.
Then, without warning, a paper contract manifested before my eyes.
There were no explanations.No signatures.
Only three terms were written on it:
– Three questions allowed– Access to the Underworld– Refusal is not permitted
I had no choice but to accept.
The moment I agreed to the terms, the thing began to change.
The aura forming its body condensed, taking on a solid shape.
In front of me now stood a human.
He was tall, middle-aged, with long hair and dark, unfathomable eyes.
He bowed slightly, showing his respect.
"I apologize for making such a strange first impression," he said calmly.
Before I could say anything, three other people appeared in front of me.
Two of them were young blonde women. They looked like twins to me.
The third was a young man.
All three of them bowed at the same time.
"We are the church of tragedy," they spoke together."It is a pleasure to finally meet you."
For now, our role is to escort you.
Despite my nerves, I spoke without hesitation.
"Three questions," I said. "I will ask them, and you will answer."
"Very well," said the middle-aged man.
I raised my head and asked my first question.
"Did you come specifically for me?""Why did you make me sign the contract?"
"Yes," he answered.
"By the will of the Great One, you have been invited to join our church."
I met his gaze and asked,
"Who is the Great Old One?"
That answer is within my reach… but you will learn it soon enough.
My third question came after a brief pause.
Are all of you holders of the Door of Tragedy?
He shook his head slowly.
I'm afraid we are not. The Door of Tragedy is a special case. It has not chosen anyone for many years.
Before I could say anything else, he continued.
Now, we shall properly introduce ourselves.
He stepped forward, his presence heavy.
I am Soren Saskia, bearer of the Zenith Door.
I said Zenith, huh… hmm, interesting. He must be strong enough to help me.
The twins spoke in unison. We are Valentina Saskia.
Saskia, huh… I don't see how they could be related, I thought to myself.
The young-looking man spoke. I am Lenz Henrik, a holder of the Door of Fortune.
Soren Saskia, the middle-aged man, said, Shall we go?
Before I could even reply, I found myself somewhere that looked like a church. The people around me were surrounded by aura, a clear sign they were Door Holders. Almost all of them showed respect and bowed.
Except one.
A short, white-haired, blue-eyed boy. He didn't bow. I could almost believe he was just a kid.
I didn't understand what was happening, so I asked why everyone was bowing.
The atmosphere of the room suddenly changed. One of the people there spoke, telling me not to misunderstand — this was the Great One's order. Then he added that I was just a newbie, so I'd better do well.
I hesitated before asking, so… what am I supposed to do?
A playboy-looking young man spoke, saying we were rushing things and that the lady should be given a moment to breathe.
Something about him disgusted me. The way he behaved told me everything I needed to know.
Hey, hey… this guy is definitely a playboy, isn't he?
They looked at him, then back at me, clearly disgusted, and said that I could see it for myself.
He said, "Oi, oi—Valentina, honey, how can you be so mean to me? That's awful."
Valentina scoffed. "Yaaaaaa. Disgusting."
The kid-looking guy cut in, saying he'd had enough of that bullshit.
He said he would now give the first mission. Mai Fiarra would be accompanied by her friend, Marika Ferran. Marika was to help Mai advance to the next door, and he asked if that was acceptable.
Marika showed her respect and said it did not bother her, that she accepted the mission.
Everyone was then told to take their leave.
I was once again teleported and found myself in my room. Somehow, it had been fixed, and by my side stood Marika.
Marika immediately shook my body and said I was stupid, asking why I would join them when she had already told me how dangerous it was to be a door holder.
I asked with a hint of sarcasm, wasn't everyone in this world a door holder?
Marika said I had the wrong idea. Door holders were rare—and dangerous—powerful humans who wielded strength borrowed from angels. Only a select few ever learned these secrets and became door holders. She warned me to be careful and not to spread such words carelessly.
Marika said she would take her leave for the moment and that she would come back tomorrow so we could make sure I ascended to the next door.
I realized an important thing the book never told me. At first, I thought everyone was a door holder and that this was simply a magical world. But in truth, most people were normal humans. Only a few chosen ones were door holders, protecting the world from the evil that lurked within the doors.
Before I could think about anything else, I fell asleep. After all, I hadn't slept properly in days.
When I woke up, the room was already bathed in morning light.
I found a cute little girl in my bed, hugging me tightly. She said we should play together, that our brother had gotten her a lot of toys.
She was my little sister, Sharon Fiarra. She wasn't that young, but she still acted like a little baby.
Moments later, a young-looking, brown-haired, green-eyed man came in. In a gentle and generous tone, he said breakfast was ready and urged me to wake up. He was my older brother, Filard Fiarra.
I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to open the bakery, let alone think about advancing to the next door.
According to the other Mai's memories, I was supposed to help the neighbors move things out on this particular day. Not because they asked, but because the other Mai wanted to do it—she must have been the kindest soul.
The moment I went to wash up, my other older brother came running to the bathroom, a slice of bread in his mouth, half-naked, and not even wearing his shoes. He rushed in before I could and mumbled sorry. Moments later, he came out, still half-naked, grabbed another slice of bread, and ran off while trying to put on his suit. Loudly, he called out sorry, I'm late for work, and added that he'd have to borrow some money.
He was probably in debt again because of his gambling habits.
I forgot I even had to wash up. I threw on my robe and went straight to the bakery. Thankfully, Filard had already opened it and started warming up the oven.
Once again, I thought about it. I had a perfect loving family, and my life was better in every way.
A memory of Eris came to mind—coming back home wearing only shorts, having lost all his money and even his suit. I thought about it again and muttered to myself, almost a perfect family.